Games Without Frontiers

26 October 2005



Peter Gabriel to Organize World Cup Opening Ceremonies

Peter Gabriel is a house favorite here. His solo work is a rarity in pop music in that it is far superior to the work done with his band, Genesis (which wasn’t at all a bad bunch). He is best known for works like “Sledgehammer,” and the silly video of it that MTV played (back when the M in MTV meant “music” instead of “mediocre”). However, he’s stepping his game up a bit as FIFA, the world soccer governing body, has asked him to arrange the opening ceremonies for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. His goal is to top the Olympics’ opener.

Mr. Gabriel came late to soccer, and his choice of Liverpool as “his side” is respectable (at least it isn’t Man U, even if he didn’t back Chelsea way back when). However, FIFA needs his singing not his cheering, and his artistic bravery may well work. “Well, I did have this idea," he said, "a red curtain across the goal and that would grow to a skirt and we'd attach little tails to footballs so they become like sperm...” The man does like to tease.

The World Cup hasn’t tried this sort of thing before, but the Olympics’ quadrennial spectacle is a template from which he will work. “I think FIFA just want [to say], ‘Anything the Olympics can do, we can do better.’ It’s a pretty big audience.” Indeed – half of humanity. He’s already got a French choreographer and a German producer. Throw in some African and Latin American dancers, some Asian musical acts, and stir.

Mr. Gabriel, though, has a political streak in his work. For example, his song “Biko” is about the police-station murder of anti-apartheid activist Stephen Biko in 1977, written while Mr. Mandela was still a prisoner, and Mr. Reagan and Mrs. Thatcher were “constructively engaging” the racist regime. The opening ceremonies will be held in the stadium in Berlin where Jesse Owens won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics – infuriating Adolf Hitler. Expect Mr. Gabriel to remember that as he works.

In addition, expect Mr. Gabriel to bring in musical talent and styles that don’t get much airplay in the US or Europe. A big fan of “world music,” his big complaint about Live 8 was the lack of African sounds. “We loved the initiative and the whole Live 8 thing, however, it did feel a little bit like having a party for people and not inviting them,” he said. “We felt there should be more African artists and I called Bob [Geldof] about it and his point was that the principal job was to get the message across to the TV people and the TV eyes watching and any unfamiliar acts, wherever they came from, would mean people switching off." But Gabriel argued, "When they had Mandela shows in London the bill was really mixed and I don't think we lost any viewers as a result. African artists are strong, charismatic and compelling, and I think they hold people's attention.” The June opening of Germany 2006 is too far away.


© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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